


Chess and chocolate

by Cerbero2518



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Chess, Chocolate, Dessert & Sweets, Father Figures, Friendship, Sad, Sad Ending, Short & Sweet, Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-12 05:09:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29629578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cerbero2518/pseuds/Cerbero2518
Summary: "Then I don't understand, why you make me come?""Should we only meet when there is some problem?""Most of the time it is like that"





	Chess and chocolate

**Author's Note:**

> English is not my first language. I did my best, please forgive my mistakes and feel free to suggest corrections

Chess and chocolate

English is not my first language. I did my best, please forgive my mistakes and feel free to suggest corrections

Albus Dumbledore had been the headmaster of Hogwarts, Britain's largest school of witchcraft and wizardry, for many years. Generations of students had studied under his guidance. He had always tried to treat them all equally even though he could not deny that he had some preferences and among them surely there had not been the man he was waiting for. He had been a brilliant student but too shy to attract his attention, only later he realized how precious and useful he was for the salvation of the magical world.

Severus Snape had been an indispensable and reliable spy, he had no doubts about his loyalty. He was late, they should have seen each other in his office after dinner but, although the other had left the table before him, he had not shown up yet.  
It had been a terrible and heavy year for everyone, professors and students. A terrible monster had been released in the castle and some students had been petrified. The situation had been resolved for the best but that very day he had learned the cause of everything: an old diary. But not just any diary, a dark object through which Lord Voldemort had managed to possess a little girl. It was an artefact imbued with ancient and dangerous magic, something that made him shiver. Could the Dark Lord have gone this far? He needed more evidence before coming to a conclusion.

Just then there was a knock on the door.  
"Come in"  
Severus Snape entered the headmaster’s office at a brisk pace with a visibly worried expression.  
"You are late my boy, what is holding you back?"  
"Albus, I'm sorry, but I heard terrible rumours, I had to go to Madam Pomfrey to have confirmation, but she couldn't tell me anything"  
"Maybe I can help you"  
It was unusual to see the young professor fidget or worry.  
"Is it true that Harry Potter was bitten by a basilisk?"  
Dumbledore would have expected a very different question, he had shared with all the teachers what the young Potter had told him about the chamber of secrets and the cursed diary, but he had avoided specifying that detail.  
"Why are you worried?"  
"We're talking about one of the most poisonous magical creatures in the world and a twelve-year-old boy who, according to Poppy, hasn't even been taken to the infirmary."  
Albus would never have risked losing a student, Harry was fine, he had been treated with phoenix tears.  
"Since when are you so considerate?"  
Severus seemed almost offended  
"It is not thoughtfulness but curiosity. Basilisks are very rare"  
"Ah, I understand," said Dumbledore with a chuckle  
"Anyway, is he okay?"  
"Yes Severus, he's fine"  
Severus Snape would never admit he cared for the boy, he was so similar to his father in appearance that he struggled to recognize elements of his mother, Lily, in him. Luckily there were those wonderful green eyes, which for him were almost torture to look at, that reminded him every day of his promise to take care of the boy to the best of his ability but without exposing himself too much.

"Why you wanted to see me Albus, did something else happen?"  
"No, on the contrary. I would say that everything is fine now: the petrified students have been treated and soon everyone will be able to go home for the holidays"  
"Then I don't understand, why you make me come?"  
"Should we only meet when there is some problem?"  
"Most of the time it is like that"  
The Severus Snape he knew was already back, cold and sharp.  
"I wanted to play chess"  
The other looked at him sceptically  
"You always lose when we play, it’s boring"  
"Today I feel lucky, plus I offer you a delicious chocolate frog, they just arrived from Honeydukes"  
Severus nodded his head, sat down opposite of the headmaster and took one of the sweets.  
Dumbledore quickly unwrapped the chocolate and munched on it with satisfaction before he could make the first jump.  
"I found Morgana is the seventh this month"  
"Maybe you eat too much chocolate Albus, diabetes will kill you if a Death Eater doesn't do it first"  
The man pretended not to hear to him

"Which card did you find?"  
Severus bit into the chocolate and took the card from the bottom of the box  
"Albus Dumbledore," he said sarcastically  
"Amazing, amazing, being in these cards is one of my greatest satisfactions"  
The other man snorted, it seemed impossible that the wizard who had defeated Grindelwald, worked with Nicolas Flamel and won the greatest honours in the wizarding world, would consider finding himself in sweet the culmination of his achievements.  
They never used wizard chess, the headmaster preferred Muggle chess, he found them funnier.  
The game was very short, the young professor managed to beat his opponent in a few moves.  
"You beat me again"  
Severus smiled  
"I don't understand why you keep insisting, it has become almost boring. Now if you don't mind I have to go, there are third year boys who have detention"  
"Of course, let's not keep them waiting, goodnight Severus and don't be too hard on them"  
"Goodnight Albus," the man replied as he left the room.

Their relationship hadn't been easy at first. The young Severus, a new professor, still mourning the loss of the woman he loved, was a closed and shy boy.  
Dumbledore had tried in every way to befriend him and in the end he succeeded.  
He researched information about the boy and managed to find his name in an old book from the school's wizarding chess tournament. For all the years he had been at Hogwarts, Severus had been in the tournament even though he never managed to win.  
So the headmaster convinced the young professor to play with him in the evening, and somehow they became friends.  
Dumbledore had been the school chess champion in his days but every time he played with Severus he lost on purpose to see a small smile of satisfaction appear on the face of one of the saddest people he had ever known.


End file.
